GF:Blueberry-Apricot Oat Bars

A gentle GF warning: Your gluten-eating friends will clean you out of these addicting bars when you take them to share to summer BBQs and parties this year. Just prepare yourself by maybe placing a few gluten-free slices on a separate plate before the gluten-grubbers dig in and lose are perspective on maintaining a gluten free dish for you. 😀

Life is good around our house. Unlike most Pacific Northwesterners, I have not be lamenting our lack of warm temperatures but I have missed seeing the sunshine. I think being pregnant has made me even more sensitive to the heat than I was before – which isn’t always comfortable. However, with no sunshine and raining/gloomy days, it has been hard to find time to enjoy the outdoors with Zoe as much as I would like. Today, however, is looking to be over 80F and it’s sunny already at 7:30 in the morning! Perfect timing! Our “water table” fund reached the goal and along with a gift card and a coupon, the little Chicklet has a new water-addiction table for the backyard. I can’t wait to play with her today in the yard! She’s going to love it!

Since backyard play has been far from on the agenda, she and I have been cooking up a storm when I can. (The doctor has ordered “modified bed rest” which generally equates to a whole lot of laying on my left side these last several weeks.) Only two more weeks to go for the official “due date” is upon us. Everyone in the family is anxious for a firm DATE for the baby’s arrival. The doc tells us he’d play the lottery rather than work if he could truly call baby birth dates accurately. So… we wait.

Thankfully, my mom and dad are probably going to make it. My dad has been in the hospital a few times this summer with heart issues and his travel will officially be approved or denied at a doctor’s appointment on Thursday. And while I am seeking the comfort of my mom and dad during this new experience, my dad’s health is first and foremost on my mind. The baby will come when s/he decides. Dad/Mom need to come when they can. 😀

In addition to welcoming my parents, Zoe will not only be meeting her new sibling for the first time but also meeting FOUR cousins (ages 1 – 8) and an aunt too. My in-laws are taking a road trip in a week or so from Chicago through Colorado, Las Vegas, Washington State, and California with FOUR kids in the car and three adults. They are completely outnumbered and I’ve told them I can’t figure out if they are super brave or ridiculously insane. Regardless, I am looking forward to meeting my twin nieces (age 1) for the first time and my nephew (age 3) for the first time too. It’s going to be baby/kid central in our house for a while, I think.

So now you see why I am getting a few recipes and some baking in now. Not only am I anticipating the need for some recovery time for my Love, the Chicklet and I , but there are going to be a few adjustments to be made that are beyond my control in the beginning of this new little life. However it all works out, I am thrilled to have family around to welcome her/him to our little clan.
So, I’ll start by sharing a recipe that Z and I made for a drop-in lunch with my sister. The beautiful part about having friends/family around who eat sweets is that I can BAKE SWEETS! My Love is not a sweet-eater (something I’ve mentioned before) but I have to keep saying it. People email asking for sweet treat recipes and I think how delicious it sounds…. And then I think about the dozens of cookies or pans of delectables that will be in the house that only I will consume… and THAT becomes a problem. 😀 So when you know you can bring the pan of goodness over to someone’s house to share? I’m all over it!

This bar recipe is super. You can make the base or the filling layers be as thick or thin as your heart’s desire. These are sweet, but you control the sugar based upon how sweet your fruit it. And PLEASE! Vary your fruit to your tastes and seasons! I happened to have had some delicious blueberries on hand (like 6 quarts!) that I wanted to use up, so this was perfect for me.

Comments

Beautiful! Mom and Dad will like this one too – – so, new Mommy to Be, print that recipe for Mom as you know she would like to make a treat now and then for you while there!
Now…about that spoiled little Z of yours…..it’s great you’re having another baby so you can get the full value of the toys you have for her!

I have followed your blog for a while now. I have never commented though. Yet today I could not resist. A year ago I was in the same situation as you, my little one is now almost a year (gasp!)! Enjoy the family and extra sleep while you can. You will be the one getting up at night…but they can snuggle with the little one in the morning while you catch up on more sleep!
This recipe looks superb! I love oats and fruit together! Thanks for another great recipe!

This looks amazing. I am always being asked about healthy bars/snacks. I am going to make this and see what the least amount of sugar I can do it with- though will likely ditch the sugar completely ans go with honey.

First of all I have to say congratulations on your pregnancy!!!! I am so terribly behind on my blogs and catching up. I realized after I saw you on Ginger’s FB page that I hadn’t gone to yours in some time and you always have THE BEST recipes, ideas, and a wonderful way of writing!! So, what do I find out when I head on over??? That you are going to be a mama AGAIN!!! Such fabulous news and congrats to both of you or I should say all three of you. You always give me such inspiration to cook and not just settle for meat and vegetables!!!!

I just read your recipe hundred times… I still don’t know what I did wrong. The crumble was too little for the filling size. It is a mess now.. It looks nice but the portions seems not correct to me.. When you say mix the crust ingredients what do you mean? do you mean mix with a mixer or by your hands? and where do we put the sugar? I added to the filling part when we boil the ingredients. is that correct? I really wanna try this again but maybe I will double the crust and crumble recipe..
thanks for your help and congrats for the baby!

I am sorry, Guliz. The sugar goes in with the boiling fruit mixture. The crust is also the topping – and the recipe is really based on your pan size. What size pan are you using? I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you when you tried it first!